Demagogue

The latest GOP talking points on RoveGate claim that the attacks on Rove are driven by nothing more than naked partisanship. But a Republican-without-a-party explains how the current GOP continuously chooses allegiance to their party over allegiance to their country.

The president’s top political advisor has admitted to revealing the identity of a CIA operative (for political purposes at that). His main defenses are that he explained who she was, but didn’t technically give her name and that he revealed that she was a CIA agent, but he might not have known how secret her identity was (if it wasn’t secret, why did he have to reveal it?).

If you’re a partisan, you will stand by your man and argue the finer points of the legal case at hand. If you are a patriot, you know instinctively that it is a reprehensible act to leak classified information about a CIA agent that might endanger her life and the life of her contacts. She put her life out on the line for us, and now the partisan hacks are going to argue over legal minutia?

If you’re a Republican reading this now, you know it’s wrong. You know it down to your core. Aldrich Ames and Robert Hanssen are serving life sentences for revealing the identities of U.S. agents. At the very least, on an ethical level, it is unconscionable. It is un-American.

So, do I still call myself a Republican after all this?

Hell no. I care too much about my country to put a political party over the interests of our nation. Could there come a time again when I go back to supporting Republicans? Of course. When they go back to representing what we used to believe in and when they go back to representing the ideals of this country.

Until then, I think it’s not only crazy but un-patriotic to support these Republicans.

I wonder if any of them are worried that by standing up for Rove (or standing by silently) that they risk exposing themselves as shamelessly supporting unethical/unprofessional/unjustifiable/corrupt behavior? More importantly, do they even care?